Chapter 9: A Sudden Confession!

It was not yet dawn, but Tang Wange had already finished washing up and put on her school uniform, waiting for the moment the house would vanish once the sun came out.

Bored while waiting, she scrolled through her phone, only to discover that her Taobao "pending delivery" page had grown by over thirty items!

Checking her bank balance, she found only two thousand yuan left! Nearly three thousand yuan had evaporated overnight!

Looking at what had been purchased, she felt even more furious. Several sets of men's clothing, and a pile of chicken, duck, pork, beef, and mutton—she could overlook these, as they were clothing and food, necessities of life.

But!! A game console simulator, VR goggles, and what else? Waterproof and fireproof equipment!? What on earth was all this?

In the bedroom, Zhao He walked out slowly, yawning and rubbing his eyes. His dark hair looked like a disheveled chicken coop, and with that hazy, unhappy pout on his face... how could he be so cute?

His cuteness left her without the heart to scold him.

"You don't like them?" He walked up to her and pulled her into his arms, his voice dazed and innocent. "Those were all gifts for you."

"Buying gifts for me with my own money?" Tang Wange had an urge to kill... no, to kill a ghost.

"What's yours is mine, and what's mine..." He smiled, his eyes curving into crescents. "...is still mine."

"..." You’re really something else.

She was too lazy to argue with him; the money was spent, and it wasn't coming back. Arguing would only make her thirsty, and she could barely afford water anymore...

She couldn't go on living like this!

After a week-long absence, Tang Wange finally appeared in the classroom, where her classmates cast concerned glances her way.

Ling Fei was the happiest, grabbing her hand and chatting incessantly. However, the name that appeared most frequently from her lips was Lin Chao.

"Wange, when did you get to know Lin Chao? He’s been asking about you these past few days; he’s very concerned about you." There was undisguised envy in Ling Fei’s eyes.

"Is that so?" Tang Wange smiled slightly. "I’ve only spoken a few words to him; we aren't as close as you think."

Not as close as she imagined... how could that be! Tang Wange must be deliberately keeping it a secret from her.

Thinking this, Ling Fei squinted and tugged at Tang Wange’s sleeve. "Come with me to the Old Street tonight. You haven't gone shopping with me in such a long time."

That was true. Ever since Zhao He appeared, Tang Wange’s life had revolved almost entirely around him. It was time she resumed her normal social life.

The Old Street was the most prosperous century-old street in the city center; even a single paving stone there could sell for hundreds of yuan! By night, many people strolled there to admire the landmarks, and there were plenty of snacks and delicacies to enjoy.

***

Ling Fei had said they were going shopping, but Tang Wange hadn't expected Lin Chao and his friends to join them.

With four people, and not being particularly close or having much to talk about, the atmosphere remained somewhat awkward.

In her breast pocket, Zhao He, having transformed into spirit money, poked a claw out and muttered with dissatisfaction, "What’s the meaning of this? Are they trying to steal my thunder?"

Before he could finish grumbling, Ling Fei suddenly turned to speak to Tang Wange.

"Wange, look, that’s the confession wall! There are so many people there, let’s go take a look!" Ling Fei pointed into the distance, excited.

The Old Street often held such events, where couples stood before the confession wall and wrote down what they wanted to say to each other.

The path leading to the wall was illuminated by pink spotlights, making it feel like a long, paved road underfoot, flanked by plastic cherry blossoms. It was very romantic!

Tang Wange walked along the edge, her hand lightly brushing the artificial flowers, her eyes curving as she seemed to catch the scent of sweetness.

She didn't notice that Lin Chao had been following by her side, his eyes fixed on her profile, his expression softening with a pale pink tenderness that mirrored the cherry blossoms.

"Do you have someone you like?" Lin Chao asked suddenly.

Tang Wange started, then turned and offered a smile. "No, what about you?"

"I do." Unexpectedly, Lin Chao answered quite directly.

He walked at a steady, unhurried pace beside her. "I’ve been watching her for a very, very long time. Unfortunately, she doesn't seem to know I’ve been paying attention to her at all."

A very, very long time—that was quite a while. But with a young man as outstanding as Lin Chao, if he confessed, the girl surely wouldn't refuse!

"Graduation is coming soon; if I don't confess now, I might not have another chance!" Lin Chao smiled softly, his eyes looking at Tang Wange as if they held a flicker of light.

"That's true. If you don't confess now, you might lose the chance."

Tang Wange was somewhat distracted. In truth, she had noticed that Zhao He was no longer in her pocket, and she was starting to get worried, wondering if that guy would cause trouble.

"Lin Chao, Tang Wange! Stop whispering to each other and come over here!" Lin Chao’s friend waved at them, urging them to hurry.

When they reached the confession wall, each of them was handed a pen.

"Write down the name of the person you like, and what you want to say to them~"

Ling Fei’s eyes crinkled with joy, and she turned away to find a corner, scribbling away. Even Lin Chao found a spot to start writing. Only Tang Wange stood still with the pen in her hand, looking at the wall full of confessions, feeling a sudden sense of melancholy.

She gripped the pen, wanting to write something casual, but found that when the tip touched the paper, it only wrote two characters:

—Zhao He

Her pupils constricted. Before Lin Chao could look over, she frantically scrubbed the characters with her pen until the strokes were unrecognizable.

Why had she thought of Zhao He?

***

"I'm finished." Lin Chao looked at her, his smile clean and handsome. "Would you like to see?"

How could she look at someone else's secret? Just as she was about to shake her head and refuse, Ling Fei pushed her from behind.

She stumbled and stood beside Lin Chao, naturally seeing the words written clearly on the confession wall.

"Tang Wange, can I like you?" Lin Chao read the words aloud.

Tang Wange was stunned on the spot. So, the girl he had been watching for a very, very long time was her, Tang Wange.

"Wow... how romantic!" Ling Fei cupped her face in her hands, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"They're confessing to each other, why are you crying?" Lin Chao’s friend patted her shoulder, looking helpless. "Hey, do you want to lean on my shoulder?"

"Go away..."

"..."

No one noticed that on the section of the wall where Ling Fei had written, the name at the beginning was Lin Chao.

The four of them walked until late, and eventually, they all agreed that Lin Chao should escort Tang Wange home.

Standing in front of the bus stop, Tang Wange said nothing. Lin Chao took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. "Are you cold?"

"No, I’m not afraid of the cold." Tang Wange hurriedly tried to return the jacket. "I... the bus is coming soon, you don't have to wait with me."

"I won't feel at ease unless I see you get on the bus." Lin Chao looked at her steadily. "Tang Wange, I’m not in a hurry for your answer. I’ve waited all these years, so I can wait a little longer. I just hope you’ll consider it carefully, rather than rushing to reject me."

He had made himself clear enough. Tang Wange nodded.

By the time she returned to the suburban villa, it was nearly eleven o'clock at night. The villa was pitch black, with no lights on.

Opening the door and entering the foyer, Tang Wange couldn't help but feel a surge of panic.

It looked like Zhao He hadn't returned. Where could he have gone? Had he gotten lost?

She set down her school bag and turned to open the door and go look for him.

Her hand pressed against the handle, but the door wouldn't budge. Both inside and outside, there was a deathly silence.

She suddenly felt a sense of fear...

Behind her, a gust of wind swept past, and a chill landed on her neck. Immediately, a cold body pressed against her, pulling her tightly into an embrace!